1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a novel ejecting mechanism for a cassette tape player.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In video tape players, rotary head type audio tape players or the like, the tape is driven and the magnetic head is rotated to perform recording and playback in a so-called helical scan system. In this system, a magnetic tape is wrapped substantially in helical form with a predetermined wrapping angle around the outer periphery of a head drum supporting a rotary magnetic head. To simplify the construction and speed up mechanical changeover from the stop mode to an operation mode, part of the head drum may be positioned within a tape cassette except when loading or ejecting the tape cassette into or out of the cassette loading portion.
An example of such a tape player is depicted in FIGS. 1A and 1B. In FIGS. 1A and 1B the tape player is generally indicated by reference character a. A cassette holder b is supported for pivotal movement between an ejecting position, (depicted by an alternate long and two short dashes line) for insertion and removal of a tape cassette c, and a loading position, (shown by a solid line) for loading the tape cassette c in a cassette loading portion. The cassette holder b is biased for movement toward the ejecting position and, when moved to the loading position, is locked by lock means. A head drum d is supported on a slidable plate e located rearward of the cassette holder b at the loading position. The head drum d is moved among a first position, (shown by an alternate long and short dash line), a second position (shown by a solid line slightly rearward of the first position), and a third position (shown by an alternate long and two short dashes line) rearward of the second position. The head drum d supports a rotary magnetic head (not shown) which is movable along the outer periphery of the head drum d.
The tape player also has a pivotal head drum moving lever f having one end linked to the slidable plate e. When the head drum moving lever f is pivoted, the slidable plate e is moved in a front/rear direction with the head drum d.
The tape player also has a head drum withdrawal lever g. Rearward depression of this lever causes the head drum moving lever f to pivot rearward.
To eject the tape cassette c, the head drum withdrawal lever g is moved rearward. This causes the head drum moving lever f to move to its retracted position (shown by an alternate long and two short dashes line in FIG. 1A). This, in turn, causes head drum d to be withdrawn rearwardly out of the pivotal path of the tape cassette c held on the cassette holder b. After the head drum d is withdrawn from the interior of the tape cassette c, the locking of the cassette holder b is released to permit the cassette holder b to move to the ejecting position. Then, to load cassette c into the loading position, the cassette holder b is moved along with the tape cassette c to the loading position. By subsequently moving the head drum moving lever f to a stop position (shown by a solid line), a front end of the head drum d is inserted in a head drum accepting concave portion h. This causes a magnetic tape i to be wrapped around the outer periphery of the had drum d at a small wrapping angle. This state is the stop mode. Fast-forwarding, rewinding, search and the like are carried out in this state. Recording and playback are effected by moving the head drum moving lever f to an advanced position (shown by an alternate long and short dash line) and increasing the wrapping angle of the magnetic tape i onto the head drum d.
Movement of the head drum moving lever f from the stop position to the advanced position is effected by pressing a play lever (not shown). Rearward movement of the head drum withdrawal lever g is performed by pressing an ejecting lever (not shown).
Because the magnetic tape i is wrapped onto the head drum d by simply moving the head drum d, a particular tape loading mechanism is not needed for drawing the magnetic tape i out of the tape cassette c and wrapping it onto the head drum d. This significantly simplifies the construction. In addition, because magnetic tape i is already wrapped onto the head drum d in the stop mode, search or other tape motion can be immediately started without moving the head drum d. Further, because the moving distance of the head drum d from the stop mode to a record/play mode for recording or playback is small, recording or playback can be started quickly.
In the tape player a, movement of the cassette holder b to the ejecting position, i.e. the releasing of the lock of the cassette holder in the loading position, must be timed to occur after the head drum d is withdrawn from the interior of the tape cassette c.
For this purpose, it may be possible to use a particular unlocking operating means for unlocking the cassette holder b and withdrawing the head drum d from the interior of the tape cassette c, and to use means provided among these respective operating means for controlling the respective timing of these operations. That is, control means could be employed to permit the unlocking operating means to be operated after operation of the head drum withdrawal operating means. However, this complicates the construction and requires much labor for the ejecting operation.
Moreover, with such an arrangement, the head drum d must be held outside the tape cassette c by locking the head drum moving lever f in the retracted position when the cassette holder b is located at any position other than the loading position. However, the lock must be released when the cassette holder b is moved to the loading position. If such particular means is used for effecting such control the construction of the tape player a is not simplified as much as would be expected by omitting the tape loading mechanism.